Sierra Leone and Peaceinvest Sign a Partnership Agreement

Peaceinvest’s team is excited to start working closely with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security of Sierra Leone to support the successful implementation of various strategies aimed at developing sustainable food systems in the country. This collaboration marks a significant step towards achieving the ambitious goals of the Feed Salone strategy and the Medium-Term National Development Plan (2024-2030). Sierra Leone is also the current Chair of the g7+ group of countries with which Peaceinvest has a strategic partnership.

The partnership is founded on a shared commitment to advancing agricultural development, enhancing food security and peacebuilding, and fostering sustainable economic growth. The agreement will serve as the collaborative framework to implement several key projects, collectively aimed at addressing critical issues such as hunger, malnutrition, job creation, and climate resilience in Sierra Leone.

Like other frontier markets, Sierra Leone requires investments to modernize and increase the efficiency of the agriculture sector and its infrastructure. About two-thirds of the labor force, predominantly women, are employed in agriculture, which contributes to more than 50% of the country’s GDP. Yet, the great majority of farmers cultivate for subsistence, and around 40% of food is lost after harvesting because of the lack of proper threshing and storage techniques. As a result, the country largely relies on imports, while 82% of Sierra Leone’s population is food insecure.

For these reasons, central to this partnership are Peaceinvest’s projects on plant-based protein and food storage systems, which have the potential to:

• Boost the internal market, by enhancing local agricultural production to reduce dependency on imports and stabilize food prices.
• Drive gender inclusion, by strengthening the resilience of women farmers.
• Create jobs, by generating employment opportunities across the agricultural value chain, from farming to processing and distribution.
• Alleviate hunger and malnutrition, by improving access to nutritious food, thereby addressing dietary deficiencies and promoting public health.
• Improve climate resilience, by promoting sustainable farming methods and green energy solutions to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

Leveraging Peaceinvest’s innovative approaches and expertise, alongside the Ministry’s extensive local knowledge and resources, the partnership aims to create a transformative impact on Sierra Leone.

Accordingly, Peaceinvest will employ its Multi-systemic Risk and Resilience Framework to de-risk the investments related to those projects and design resilience-building measures, thus increasing the returns for all stakeholders. The application of the Peace Finance Standards will ensure that the local communities will be included in the envisioned growth according to their needs and those of the environment.

As Peaceinvest and the Ministry focus on implementing impactful projects, the partnership paves the way for a more secure and prosperous future.